But top Trump administration officials haven't been as eager to pull out of the global trade regulator. In July, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that talk to withdraw from the WTO was "a little premature."

Despite Trump's remarks, the U.S. has sought WTO assistance in dealing with retaliatory tariffs imposed by China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Turkey. In July, the U.S. filed five dispute actions with the WTO alleging that the retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. were illegal under the trade organization's rules.